He is the Gift

This came to me via email at a perfect moment.  I was feeling stressed with all things related to Christmas and my never-ending to-do list, but then I watched this and now I feel all better.  I once again realized that my lists don't really matter and getting it all done doesn't matter either.  All that matters is that I remember the Gift of Our Savior; that I remember His love and that I remember to share it with others.  He is the Gift.

What is Happening to Me?

Hey y'all.  Might as well say y'all because people are telling me I sound SOUTHERN!!!  WHAT?!  Or should I say REALLY?  Ha ha.

When I was in Utah for a training, other people taking the course asked me where I was from, and when I said Alabama, they said, "Oh yeah, you sound Southern."

And then when I was in Cafe Rio I wanted to get a frequent diner card because I planned on eating there every day I was there and then give the card to someone before I left.  Anyway, without even thinking, I said, "Do y'all have one of those free meal cards?"  And right then I realized I said y'all without even trying!  I usually make a conscious effort to say y'all here because 'you guys' sounds too weird to people.  Anyway, I think I'm getting the hang of saying y'all and I guess sounding more and more Southern.

My sister (who is serving a mission in Texas) says sounding Southern is a good thing.  I agree. :)

I should add that the people who are telling me I sound Southern are from out West.  They need to come to Alabama and hear a true Southerner because then they'd realize I'm not even close to sounding like that kind of awesomeness.  I still get the occasional 'you're not from around here, are you.' from people that are from here so I think I'm still good.

Nashville - Round 3

A few weeks ago, Newel and I were able to meet up with my brother and his wife in... drumroll please... NASHVILLE.  Yesss!  We had lots of fun together.  Here are a few highlights:

First, we ate at Monell's (I haven't been to Nashville without eating there - yes, it's that good).  Maybe not good for the hips, but good for the soul!

Then we went to Centennial Park to check out the Parthenon.  We didn't stay very long and didn't take any pictures because it was raining, and I mean REALLY raining - like it does this time of year in the South.

We also walked around Opryland, but I didn't take any pictures again!  I think I got too distracted with having so much fun being with Andrew & Stacy.

Then we walked through the District, up and down Broadway Avenue, looked in some neat shops and ate Mike's ice cream.

The next day, we went to the Hermitage which is the home/estate of President Andrew Jackson.  It was really cool.  We got to tour his home, walk around the gardens, and the homes his slaves lived in.  We also happened to be there on Chocolate Day where a lady demonstrated how they made and used/ate chocolate back in Andrew Jackson's day.  There were also some samples. :)  I think it had a better name than Chocolate Day, but now I can't remember what it was.  Festival of Chocolates?  Chocolate Heritage?  Nope, I just looked it up because it was bugging me.  It was called Historic Chocolate at the Hermitage.

And that was about it.  Short and sweet.  After the Hermitage, we had to part ways and return home.  Can I just say that I love my brother and sister-in-law?!  They are so great and I think they're some of the coolest people I know.  When we were driving home, Newel said, "It's too bad they don't live closer" (because then we could see them more).  But we are SO happy that they're in North Carolina.  Eight hours driving distance is WAY better than twenty-seven.

13 Years Ago

This morning I went to the little gym at my apartment complex to exercise and while I was listening to the radio, the talk show host said, "We'd love to hear from people in a few minutes and tell us where you were 13 years ago."  For a split second, I thought that it was interesting that he wanted to hear where people were 13 years ago.  That was a little random.  But then the next split second, I remembered how not random that topic was.  Today was 9/11.

I decided to look at my journal because I remember writing in it on 9/11.  This is what I wrote:

This morning two planes hit the World Trade Center and a plane hit the Pentagon.  When I heard about it, it was at the end of Seminary and Bishop Brazier told us.  I thought it was a tragedy.  I want to share more thoughts but they'll have to wait because I need to go to bed early for Seminary. 

I was 15 years old when I wrote this entry, and I never did share more thoughts on it.  Maybe 13 years later is as good as any time to share a little more.

I still remember when Bishop Brazier told us the news.  We didn't know very much at the time.  I don't think anyone really did.  And then I remember going to school and watching news footage of the towers collapsing, and then later reading the newspaper and seeing images of all that happened that day.  It almost wasn't real to me.  As a 15 year old, I knew so little of the world and seeing all of that was a bit of a wake up call for me.  I saw a lot of the bad that was in the world, but I also saw the good.  I remember more people coming together, uniting to help others and reaching out to loved ones, especially those directly affected by the events of 9/11.  It was a sad day, but it gave so many people opportunities to express love for God and for their fellowmen.

Since I'm still writing about our trip to Europe, I haven't shared much about our Southern experiences, but I do want to say, that I feel like the South is really American.  I guess it's actually Southern American, but still American.  Go America!

Adventures Elsewhere - Freiberg

After Annaberg, Newel and I drove to Freiberg to visit the temple.  The story of the Freiberg Temple is a good one.  I would really love to tell its story, but it would be long and I wouldn't tell it as well as others have, but President Dieter F. Utchdorf tells it very well in "Seeing beyond the Leaf" (scroll down to the heading The Freiberg Temple to read about it). 

Visiting the Freiberg Temple was very inspiring to me.  Our visit was different than our visits to the temple in Birmingham because so many different languages were spoken.  We attended an endowment session that was given in Czech so Newel and I wore headphones for translation in order to understand it.  Newel listened in German and I listened in English.  There was also a lady listening in Mongolian.  As I was there, I had the most overwhelming feeling that the Lord loves all people, all are His children, He hears all languages, all hearts, and all prayers.  We all spoke/understood different languages, but the same ordinance was being performed.  I felt His love for me and for every other person I saw there that day.

Things I want to remember:

1) Feeling God's love for all people around the world.

2) The people working in the temple were very bright which was significantly different than others German we had been seeing.  I think it was because of living the Gospel and the change that happens when you devote your life to God.

3)  My first feelings of helplessness because of not being able to communicate in German.  It all worked out because the lady helping me saw my blank stares and switched to English.  I am so much more appreciative of people that learn to speak other languages!

4) The crazy never-ending drive to Brand-Erbisdorf (a town outside of Freiberg) due to construction - we had to take detour after detour after detour (at the time I wanted to forget it, but now I want to remember every moment... funny how life works that way).

P.S.  I used a lot of church language that may be unfamiliar to some people.  If you have any questions about things I said, please message me!  I would love to explain.

My Favorite Missionaries

My sister has been serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fort Worth, Texas.  She's been out for 16 months and our only contact has been through email and a few hand-written letters.  Despite, the minimal contact, I've come to know her on a deeper, more spiritual level than I ever would have experienced had she not left.  She's been able to share parts of her mission experience as well as her thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that have allowed me to feel close to her; closer than when we shared our room way back when and she'd leave chocolate candy wrappers in the bed. :)

I had the same thing happen with my brothers when they went on their missions.  When they were away, I wrote them once a month, and even if I didn't receive a personal email from them, I always received the email they sent to my parents to forward to family and friends each week.  I felt close to them that way.  I still remember one brother writing about singing hymns to the people in Chile and another brother always writing about how amped he was to be a missionary in Canada.  Just thinking about reading their emails makes me smile.

What I'm really trying to say is writing my siblings when they were/are on their missions has made me feel so, so close to them; even closer than when we're living in the same country and I get to see them in person every now and then.  My relationship with each of them has been strengthened and become more eternal than ever.  Missions are always a blessing for every party involved -- The missionary (of course), the people they teach/serve (of course), the parents, the siblings, and ESPECIALLY the older sister. :)

Adventures Elsewhere - Annaberg-Bucholz

After Leipzig, we drove to Annaberg-Bucholz which was probably the smallest town we visited.  It's tucked away in the Ore Mountains and is very beautiful.  While we were there, we were able to see a family that Newel taught as a missionary.  They made us lunch and then took us around their town and surrounding areas.  Here are some things we did with them:

Went behind their house and looked out over Annaberg.  See how pretty?

Climbed the tower of The Church of St. Annen.  It's one of the largest late Gothic churches of Saxony and was built from 1499 to 1525.  A family still lives in the tower and cares for the church and rings the bell.  (This is Newel and the Sengers at the top of the tower.)

Walked through the marketplace and then hiked the Poehlberg - the highest mountain in Annaberg.

What I want to remember:

1)  How much Newel and the Sengers enjoyed being together again.

2)  The hills and fields of Annaberg-Bucholz and other surrounding towns.

3)  Comparing the people in Annaberg to the people in the Southern United States - so friendly, simple, and their accents occasionally being difficult to understand in their respective languages. :)